My Kingdom for a Dentist

Oh how I hate the dentist.

My whole family has had dentist issues from when we were kids.  I don't know if the problem was that we were poor and the dentist we had was all my parents could afford, or if our dentist really was the sadistic son of a bitch I remember him to be.  Either way, it wasn't a happy memory, going to the dentist.

Now as an adult, I wait way too long to go to the dentist.  When I do go, something is usually past the point of an easy repair.  I am now in to the arena of both expensive and painful.  About 15 years ago, I plopped a fortune into capping most of my teeth.  I thought that would help me help them last longer.  Unfortunately, nothing lasts forever.

Let's go back to close to where it all began.  The sadistic SOB that I am referring to started me on this life long hatred of dentists.  I remember when I was about 10 years old, I had a tooth that grew into the roof of my mouth, behind my front teeth.  Obviously, that was not a good place for that tooth and leaving it there would hurt the continued development of my front teeth, so the extra tooth had to go.  Here is what I remember about that dental appointment.  I had this asshole's knee on my chest holding me down while he yelled at me to sit still while he yanked that tooth out of my head.   That was pretty traumatic for a 10 year old!  Anyway, that brings us to today.

One of my caps has broken in two.  I've had caps come out before and it usually requires a little glue or whatever they use to stick it back in.  I knew this one was going to be different because of the way the dang thing broke in two.  The last dentist I saw in Ohio was not much better than Mr. Sadist from my youth, so I was NOT going back to him.  Someone recommended another dentist, who was good with chicken shit patients.  I put my big girl panties on and made an appointment.

In case you don't know me, I am a wreck most days of my life.  I hold my life together in bits and pieces but to be honest, it's mostly a ruse.  I'm falling apart at the seams over here.  Life is scary and being a grown up ain't easy.  I went to the dentist for a consultation ONLY.  Me shaking and crying as I walked in kinda gave credence to my story that I do NOT like dentists.  I'm not naming him yet as I want to see how tomorrow goes first.  Anyway, I went in for that first appointment, and all that happened was that a few digital pictures were taken of my teeth.  All this was done with a dental assistant, not the dentist.  Ok, I made it through that.

The dentist came in and he sat across the room from me and we just talked.  Ok, that was a good sign.  I told him about the dentist I grew up with, and my resulting fear of the profession.  I was not comfortable in the chair and I was fighting the urge not to run.  The fact that I sat there and cried through the entire appointment made sure he understood how terrified I was to be there.   He said he would work with me, go as slowly as I needed to go, and we would get me back to good dental health.  I only had one caveat.  I have no dental insurance, so my dental health was also going to be based on what I could afford.  That is sure going to limit my options.

Since I lived through the first appointment, I made a second appointment.  The second appointment would include a cleaning, full x-rays including a panoramic x-ray and a complete exam with the dentist himself.  This was a little more difficult to walk into willingly.  But, I had to do something, this broken cap was killing me.

I made it through x-rays and the cleaning.  Now the true test was coming, the dentist actually poking around in my mouth.  Ok, the poking around wasn't as bad as the results from the x-rays and exam.

The tooth with the broken cap is beyond repair and has to come out.  My  jaw by where this tooth is coming out has so much bone loss from the bone deteriorating over the years that he wants to try to save what he can in my jaw.  So, once the tooth is out, a bone graft is going in.  Is this crazy or what?  Bone graft.  He's throwing terms like this around like it's nothing.  Sure, it's not HIS jaw that's disintegrating.  Whatever.

As cheap as I am with the penny, I am paying the extra $377 to be put OUT for this procedure.  Some days you can't skimp on money.  I NEED to be unconscious for this.  Am I a big baby about this?  You betcha.  Am I going to spend an extra $377 to get through it?  Yep.  Will it be worth the extra cost?  You BETCHA.

As long as I'm under, if I tolerate the anesthesia, he will also work on two fillings I need.  Hopefully, we can get it all done in one appointment.  Heaven help me, I don't want to have to go back for fillings.

This isn't the end.  The last dentist I went to did a panoramic x-ray as well.  He told me that I had another extra tooth that didn't come in where it was supposed to.  Unfortunately, THIS extra tooth is a wisdom tooth and it's up behind my left eye.  I asked him then if I needed to do something about this tooth and he told me that it would be more trouble than it's worth going through sinus surgery to get this tooth out.  He said to just leave it there and forget about it.  I did that for eight years or so until this guy took another x-ray and found that damn tooth again.

Now THIS guy is worried about the tooth.  He wants a CAT scan done sooner rather than later to find out exactly where the is.  He believes I could be in for big problems, depending on where the tooth is.  Why he can't tell where from the x-ray where it is, I don't know.  Whatever.  I did balk a little at the CAT scan.  I asked if my medical insurance would cover it.  He said that since it's still dental related, he wasn't sure.  Besides, he had a new CT scanner right there in his office he just got a couple of months ago.  Seriously.  Did he not hear the part about me not having dental insurance and paying for this out of MY pocket?  Do I really NEED a freakin' CAT scan now?  Or does he just need to make a payment on that new CT scanner of his?

Now he has me a bit freaked about this extra tooth.  Then again, it's been up there for probably 30 years or so, a little longer won't matter.  I'm paying a fortune for tomorrow's extraction, bone graft and fillings that I don't need an additional expense on top of that.  

Ugh, keep happy thoughts for me tomorrow.  Phil is going to be nice enough to drive me to the dentist tomorrow and wait for me.  I am going to owe him big time for this one!

The only good news is that I actually made a buck on this deal!  The tooth fairy (my brother Mike) already gave me a dollar for the missing tooth!  Bonus!!   Thanks, Mike, but I'm going to need to find me a much richer tooth fairy though!